Mend
by staryskylines221
Summary: Mai could no longer take the emotional abuse from her boss and before she ends up hating him and herself she must leave. John, the young priest, notices the change in his sweet co-worker and is determined to mend her back because she was never meant to be broken. Will something blossom or will she let her past and her old love drag her down.


Chapter 1

Enough, Mai had enough. She felt tears stream down her face as she contiuned to listen to Naru's verbal lashing. "Can you not do anything right? Are you trully that stupid?" Although what he was saying was nothing new, over the course of two years the verbal abuse had worn on Mai and slowly it had created a hole in her heart.

Mai ignored her boss, tunning him out, as she gazed him over. Tall, dark and handsome that was what came to mind first but now all she could see was the reason behind all her emotional turmoil. Why did he hate her so much? Was she really that useless and stupid? The questions pilled up in her mind and on her heart but she knew she was not brave enough to ask them, so they would go unanwsered and that some part of her would now always question her worth.

Her mind drifted from her boss to her time spent at SPR. She trully loved working here and with the team. They had welcomed her, gave her a part of the family life she thought she would never get back. Everyone on the team was precious to her, even Naru, he was the one that brought her SPR in the first place and since he was so precious to her she would leave before she grew to really hate him.

"Are you even listening?!" Her young boss yelled causing the small brown haired woman to flinch.

Gathering her reslove and the small amount of courage she had left she willed herself to speak. "I quit." It was almost a whisper but she knew Naru heard by the way his eyes widened slightly.

"What?"

"I quit." She stared at him blanky not saying anything else just letting her words sink in. After a few moments had passed she pulled out her letter of resignation and set ontop of his desk. "Goodbye, Shibuya-san."

With that she left SPR's leaders office, tears still traveling down her face and more than slightly shaken. "Mai?" She turned her head up at the sound of a familiar voice and found John watching her with great concern. "What's wrong?" She was too tired to anwser, too tired to acknowledge that she was leaving. She had nothing left to give and it took more energy than it should have to look the blonde priest in the eyes.

"Goodbye, John." Mai gathered her things together and made her way to the door when she was blocked.

"You are in no state to walk home alone. I'll go with you and maybe we can talk about what happened on the way." I nodded my head to young blonde man and we made our way down the steps and out into the summer night.

Mai had always loved summer nights, they were warm and they were comforting. She sighed in content as she breathed in the humid air, it had been an unusally docile summer for Tokyo and Mai in a weird way had missed the crazy heat. In the midst of her admiring the summer night she had been vaugely aware that they had been walking for a block without her saying anything and without him pushing her for information. She was grateful for that, John had always been a patient person and his learnings as a priest only furthered that. He never pushed, not like Naru, and he never shouted.

"I quit." She spoke suddenly and he grabbed her forearm in shoock.

"W-what?" He stuttered and she nodded her head.

"I quit. I can't take it anymore. I can feel...his words eating away at me." They were now in front of her aparment building. "Would you like to keep talking over a cup of ice tea?" She asked and the priest nodded his head and they slowly made their way into her home.

It was an average sized aparment, nothing fancy, but to Mai it was home. Pictures of her deceased mother and father along with her friends from SPR and school were hung up on the walls. Mai eyed the priest as he slowly examined some of the photos then turned around to look around her home. "You have a nice place." Mai smiled at the humbly priest and motioned for him to take a seat on her sofa.

"I'll be right back with some tea. Make yourself at home." She left to her kitchen and quickly went to work making, what she knew, to be the priest favorite tea. It was a tea she bought just for the blonde. It contained chai spices, tart apple skins and perfectly roasted alomonds which in turned created a warm and soothing effect much like the young priest himself. Once the tea was done she grabbed a tray and filled it with like snacks as well as a small container of cream and sugar along with a bottle of honey. Picking up her tray of she carefully made her way to her guest and set the tray down on the small coffee table.

"Thank you." John smiled up at her and she found it easy to returnt he gesture. She watched as he put two teaspoons of honey in his drink and brought it to his lips to sip. "It's amazing as always. Can I ask where you get this blend, it really is my favorite." The blonde blushed a bit and she smiled softly. John was such a gentle guy.

"I make it myself. If you would like I'll make you some."

"Your really talented to be making such good tea blends and if it isn't too much trouble than yes I would really like to have some of my own." Mai nodded and waited for him to talk. She knew that he was, once again, being patient with her but she could see his need to talk about what happened. "Why did you quit?"

She sighed softly as she looked away from him. Mai thought that had been a question with an obvious anwser. But maybe she was wrong? She wasn't overreacting right? Yet again she caught herself doubting herself and wavering on her decisions. That had only begun when Naru's verbal outbursts had started. "Shibuya-san has made in perfectly clear that I am not suited for the job or any job requiring a brain for that matter." She flinched when she remembered all the names, all the things he had called her, every way he told her she was inferior. "I just...can't anymore, John. I don't want to hate him and I don't want to keep doubting myself worth." She did not noticed that she was crying until John started wiping her tears with his thumb. It was such a gentle and tender action that she wonder if she was even worth the time for him to be wasting on.

"I'm so sorry, Mai. The others and I have noticed and but kept quiet because...well we thought it Naru's way of bonding with you. If we had known that it had gotten worse than we would have stepped in." Mai nodded her head before smiling softly at him.

"Thanks." On impluse she ran her fingers through his hair, caressing each golden strand. She was surprised at the softness of it and found it comforting.

"Mai?" John called out confused at to what the small woman was doing. Although it felt good to have his hair touched like that, he did not want her to get the idea of gathering self confidence from indulging men. Not that she was, he just wanted to make sure, especially since he had seen that sort of thing all the time since he worked as a priest.

"Sorry, it's just that...when I was younger and feeling bad I use to sleep with my mom and I would play with her hair. It was a comfort to me. I guess it's odd huh?" John smiled softly as she blushed and looked down at him. He was glad that it was something so innocent and he would be happy to indulge her if it meant that sort of comfort.

"It's alright and it's not odd, everyone finds comfort in different ways. Besides I think it's rather...cute."

"Ok." John closed his eyes as she contiuned running her dainty fingers through his hair. "Can I ask a favor of you?" John nodded his head but kept his eyes closed as he relaxed under her touch. "If you have...the time can you come with me to SPR to gather the things from my desk? Only if it isn't a problem!"

The blonde felt his heart slowly crack. Mai had never been this timid and for the first time he could see how Naru's words were effecting her. She was slightly shaking and she had stopped her hands from running through his hair to gently take a fist full. The damage to this beautiful woman was becoming very apparent and it tore him up inside.

"Of course I will go, that's no problem!" He eyed her as she sighed in relief and contiuned her ministrations with his hair. After a few mintues he eyed her wall clock and flinched when he realized how late it was.

"If you want...you can stay over. I have an extra room." John thought the offer over. It was rather late and even if he was a man it was still dangerous at this time of night. He knew that nothing would happen between them and so he smiled and nodded his head.

"If your sure than I will take you up on the offer. It has gotten rather late..." Mai smiled and he felt his cheeks warm slightly. She ran her fingers through his hair once more before letting go and gathering the tea tray and heading to the kitchen to wash and put them away. When she returned she beckoned him and he stood instantly and followed her. John could not stop the butterflies in his stomach when they reached a door and she opened it.

"The bathroom is just downt he hall and the towels are in the closet in there if you want to bathe. There are mens products in there since Bou-san and Ayako tend to stay the night alot. If you need an extra blanket there is one in the closet in the bedroom along with some general guy sleepwear." John smiled at her and reached his hand down to pat her hair gently. She was very hospitable and it was a rather cute feature. He blushed when she reached up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for everything. I hope you sleep well." He watched her go, mixed emotions running through him. He sighed it was going to be a rough morning and he was going to need his sleep. So he changed into the gray sweat pants and white shirt that was in the closet and crawled into bed and fell asleep.

...

The next morning John woke to the smell of bacon and , oddly enough, chocolte. He ran his fingers through his hair as he recalled where he was and last nights events. He still couldn't understand for the life of him why Naru was being so cruel to Mai. As he got dressed he still could not come up with something that could explain his young bosses actions.

Walking quietly to the kitchen he found the young girl humming over the stove as she cooked. The young priest watched as she swayed her hips to whatever song she was singing and found himself leaning against the wall just watching her. She was really beautiful, the years after Naru left to England had been good to her. Long mocha colored hair that stoped right at her waist and big honey colored eyes. Durning the years his boss was away she filled out and gained the body of a woman. Soon though his ramblings stopped when Mai noticed him against the wall.

"Good morning, John. Did you sleep well?" For some reason John had butterflies in his stomach but ignored them.

"Yes, thanks. What about yourself?"

"Oh, I sleep ok." He frowned at her anwser. Was what happened affecting even her sleep?

"Well let's eat! Come sit down." He pulled out a seat at her dinning table and smiled over at her. She had made chocolate chip pancakes along with eggs and bacon. He thanked her as she handed him his tea and with a short pray he began to eat.

"This is really good. Thank you for making breakfeast." He smiled when her face flushed.

"No problem. After this I'm heading over to the office, if you still are going with me?" She looked unsured and that tore at him.

"Yes, I will be going with you."

So they ate in comfortable silence together and once they were done they washed the dishes and set on their way to SPR. The walk wasn't long, about ten mintues from her apartment to the building, so they made it in no time. It was about 9:30 am so they both knew that Naru would be there.

They enter the office side by side and John had along the way held her hand to give her courage. Once inside they found that the entire team was in and lounging on the sofa.

"Hey Mai! Hi John!" They called and Mai and John returned their greetings happily. When Naru walked into the room John noticed Mai's visible flinch and frowned at it.

"Mai,tea." Naru called and when Mai did not move a slight scowl set on his handsome features. "Are you deaf? I requested tea."

Mai was upset but showed no signs of it. Hadn't she told him just last night that she was quitting her job here? "No, I came...to pick up my...things." Her reply was weak just like how she felt. She avoided the bulging eyes of her ex co-workers and moved towards her desk slowly.

"You can not be serious about quitting. Where would you even work?" Naru was furious and everyone and the room could tell that it was taking all his will power not to use his PK.

"I actually already have a few jobs lined up and I will be going to University starting next week." She replied as she gathered her things from her desk.

"They actually let someone as ignornant as you into college?" Naru scoffed and Mai held back a whimper.

"Well...I..." She tried to talk but John beat her to it.

"Kazuya I don't think you should be talking to her that way. Mai is a very smart woman and does not deserve to be spoken to that way." The group was shocked that it was actually John who had spoken up first for the small woman. The all gasped aloud when they saw the fierce glare on his face. They had never seen him like this and were sure that it was a sign of the end of the world.

Naru said nothing to the priest. He didn't mean to talk to his assiant that way, it was just the only way he knew how. As he watched her he realized that his harsh words had left a deep wound on the girl and he could have slapped himself at his own stupitity. He could only imagine the scolding his twin brother would have given him if he were here.

Mai had finished gathering her belongings and was making her way out of the door when she felt eyes on her. She turned to find that Naru was looking at her regret deep within his dark blue eyes. It was the only time since they found Gene's body that she could actually place what emotion the young man was feeling. "I don't hate you. I'm sorry." With that she left.

John felt his heart crack as he watched the young woman sob as they made their way back to her home. He knew that SPR's gang was like a family to her and losing them this way was something he frankly did not want to feel himself. One thing was for sure he would stay by her side and he would help mend her because she was never meant to be this broken.


End file.
